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With over 100 out-of-the-box connectors, Fivetran is the no-code/low-code solution for many CTOs, software developers, and data analysts who want to extract, load, and transform data from disparate sources, load that data into a warehouse for analytics, and then convert it into a usable format. 

Despite its strengths, Fivetran has limitations that impede data transformation and make the process more expensive than it should be. Take its consumption-based pricing structure, for example, which charges users for consuming data rows. There's also a limited number of supported destinations, meaning you can move your data to a warehouse but not a lake. Plus, you can't transform data before it heads to that warehouse, which presents all kinds of issues. 

These are just some reasons data-driven teams seek out Fivetran alternate tools. In this guide, you'll discover the best alternatives on the market right now and learn why you should switch to another platform. 

  • Fivetran has limitations, such as consumption-based pricing and limited supported destinations, leading teams to seek alternatives.
  • Integrate.io offers both ELT, CDC and ETL capabilities, with over 200 connectors and a range of security features, making it a strong Fivetran alternative.
  • Stitch allows data movement between various destinations but has a consumption-based pricing model and fewer connectors.
  • Talend is an open-source platform with ETL and ELT capabilities, but its true cost is unclear and lacks some features like Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration.

1. Integrate.io

Integrate.io is one of the few data integration platforms that support both ELT and Extract, Transform, Load (ETL). With Fivetran, you can't transform data into the correct format until after you've uploaded that data to a warehouse. While the ELT approach proves useful for data integration and is typically the faster of the two methods, it requires coding experience. If you lack a team with data engineering experience, you'll struggle to use a platform like Fivetran and probably require an alternative. Integrate.io boasts both ELT and ETL capabilities, providing you with far more flexibility. 

Integrate.io also has more than double the number of out-of-the-box connectors than Fivetran (over 200), and you can move data to a lake as well as a warehouse. Throw in 24/7 support, unlimited users, unlimited data limits, SOC2, Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration, and flat-rate pricing, and you can see why so many data engineers and analysts are using Integrate.io as a Fivetran alternative. For the CTOs, Integrate.io focuses on security and boasts about its security features like Field Level Encryption, while also adhering to compliance laws like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.

Finally, there's a powerful Rest API connector for pulling data from any source with a Rest API. 

Click here for a full Fivetran vs. Integrate.io comparison.

2. Stitch

Stitch has similar drawbacks to Fivetran. As one of the Fivetran alternate tools, you can't use it to transform data into the correct format until after you load that data to your warehouse. Still, Stitch has some benefits over Fivetran. You're not limited to a data warehouse as your final destination — you can move data between warehouses, databases, lakes, applications, and SaaS services — and there's a free tier that lets you execute low-level data transformations without spending a penny. Most teams, however, need to upgrade to the Enterprise version to facilitate ELT. 

Stitch comes with around 100 connectors, which is about the same as Fivetran but half the number of Integrate.io.Stitch’s free tier has usage limits and primarily supports low-volume ELT; mid- to high-volume users incur extra costs, similar to Fivetran’s consumption-based pricing.

3. Talend 

Talend, as a concept, is an open-source platform but, because of its outdated user interface and limited features, most data-driven teams will need to upgrade to its enterprise version to achieve their data integration objectives. Like Integrate.io, Talend can handle both ETL and ELT projects, and the platform boasts various data governance features so you can comply with legislation like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA. 

It's hard to compare Talend with Fivetran on price because the company doesn't publicize costs for its enterprise version. Plus, there's no Salesforce-to-Salesforce connector like Integrate.io has. Overall, this is a respectable Fivetran alternative, but you'll need to dig deeper to discover its true cost.

4. Informatica Power Center

Informatica Power Center is a far more complicated beast of a platform than any of the ones on this list so far. That means it's great for data analytics if you have advanced coding experience but not so great if you have limited time, limited data engineering experience, and limited resources. Comprising four data integration projects (Workflow Manager, Monitor, Designer, and Repository Manager), Power Center certainly gives Fivetran a run for its money on features. However, there are various auxiliary costs to consider if you upgrade to this Fivetran alternative. For example, you'll need to spend money on additional hardware because, unlike something like Integrate.io, Power Center is an on-premises solution that requires an extensive amount of physical resources.

5. ETLeap

ETLeap is a Fivetran alternative that looks amazing on paper. It comes with enhanced security so you can safeguard data as it moves through your pipelines, and it's pretty much code-free. The problem here is the same one as on Alooma, where you have limited data destination options. While Alooma only offers BigQuery as a destination, ETLeap only sends data to Snowflake and Amazon Redshift. Something like Integrate.io provides a far greater range of targets. ETLeap has recently added support for more destinations beyond Snowflake and Redshift, such as Azure Synapse.

6. Matillion

If you're familiar with Fivetran's ETL setup, where data transformation happens after the E and L phases, you'll find Matillion easy to use. You can automatically scale, and there is a broad range of customer service options, providing you with the support you need. However, it's difficult to know whether this platform provides more value than Fivetran because of its convoluted pricing structure, which involves the company charging for each project and each user. Besides the complicated costs, there are only around 40 out-of-the-box connectors available here, so Fivetran might be a better option if you don't want to build complex data pipelines from scratch. Matillion now offers pay-as-you-go options on cloud marketplaces, adding flexibility to its pricing structure. However, it still involves per-user and per-project fees, making costs potentially complex

Why Integrate.io is the Best Fivetran Alternative

Integrate.io is the best Fivetran alternate tool because it offers the scale and speed of an expensive on-prem solution like Power Center and the simplicity of a platform like Stitch. With over 200 connectors, more than any other alternatives to Fivetran on this list, Integrate.io lets you build data pipelines with little to no code. You can move data from various sources, transform that data into the correct format, and then move it to a final destination for analytics. With SOC 2/HIPAA support, Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration, 24/7 support, unlimited data, unlimited users, and much more, you can revolutionize data integration in your organization. 

Are you searching for a Fivetran alternative? Contact Integrate.io for a free 7-day trial now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the Fivetran open-source alternatives?

  • Airbyte: A community-driven tool with many connectors and support for custom integrations.
  • Singer: A framework with modular “taps” and “targets” for flexible ETL scripting.
  • Apache Nifi: Offers drag-and-drop real-time data flows and high customizability.
  • Meltano: GitLab’s ELT tool, integrating Singer connectors with a focus on the full data lifecycle.
  • Talend Open Studio: Provides a range of connectors and a powerful interface for ETL tasks.

Q: What are Fivetran's limitations? 

  • Limited Customization: Fivetran’s automated approach restricts deep customization of data transformations, which may not fit complex workflows.
  • Cost: Pricing is based on data volume, which can become costly for large datasets.
  • Connector Availability: While Fivetran offers many connectors, niche or lesser-known data sources may not be supported.
  • Dependence on Cloud Infrastructure: Fivetran is fully cloud-based, which may not suit organizations with on-premise requirements.